Diesel process: Ex-VW boss Martin Winterkorn claims to have only found out about the problems late and incompletely

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Martin Winterkorn as a witness in Braunschweig: "If I had been given a complete picture, I would not have hesitated to tackle the events directly and clarify them."

Photo: Julian Stratenschulte / dpa

Martin Winterkorn has denied responsibility for VW's illegal shutdown devices before the Higher Regional Court in Braunschweig. The former VW boss read out a short statement in the billion-dollar investor trial against Volkswagen and its main shareholder Porsche SE because of manipulated emissions values. Winterkorn said he was not involved in the decisions about the development or use of the shutdown device. »I neither demanded nor supported this function nor tolerated its use.«

Winterkorn explained that he only found out about the problems with US authorities “very late” and “incompletely at first.” Initially, he assumed that VW would quickly find a technically and legally sound solution for diesel vehicles in the USA. "If I had been given a complete picture of the internal processes in the responsible departments, I would not have hesitated to tackle the processes directly and clarify them," said Winterkorn. If necessary, he would have flown to the USA himself to speak confidentially with the authorities, he said.

It is the first time that Winterkorn has spoken out in court about the diesel affair. So far, the 76-year-old had only spoken on the topic to the Bundestag investigative committee and to the law firms commissioned by VW.

Winterkorn has been called as a witness in the billion-dollar case before the Higher Regional Court in Braunschweig. He read out his statement before the start of his hearing, which is initially scheduled to last two days. Winterkorn is to be questioned about various allegations, some of which date back to 2007. Read here what the process is about.

Plaintiffs accuse VW and Porsche of providing information too late

In 2015, under pressure from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Volkswagen admitted that it had manipulated diesel emissions values ​​using software. This ensured that the engines met the nitrogen oxide limits on the test bench, but emitted many times more of these toxic exhaust gases on the road. The scandal triggered a large number of lawsuits. In June 2023, the former head of the Volkswagen subsidiary Audi, Rupert Stadler, was sentenced by the Munich regional court to a suspended sentence and a fine worth millions. Read a comment here about why Germany needs strict corporate criminal law.

The Braunschweig Higher Regional Court has been negotiating the model lawsuit brought by the Sparkasse fund company Deka Investment for price losses suffered as a result of the VW emissions scandal for five years. The plaintiffs - mostly institutional investors - accuse Volkswagen and the defendant Porsche Holding of informing investors too late about the extent of the diesel scandal, thereby causing them to lose the value of their shares. Volkswagen counters this by saying that the price relevance only became apparent through the publication of the EPA on September 18, 2015. Compensation for the emissions scandal, primarily fines, damages and legal fees, has so far cost Volkswagen more than 32 billion euros.

Criminal proceedings are pending in Braunschweig against former boss Winterkorn himself due to emissions manipulation. The accusation here is commercial fraud. In addition, criminal proceedings on suspicion of market manipulation have been reopened. “I think these allegations are inaccurate,” said Winterkorn as a witness before the Higher Regional Court.

kko/Reuters/dpa